Would you pay for this?

Registered User

My mother's regular carer is off sick and there are others covering, just at the time when her care visits have been increased.

Last week one of the new carers overdosed her by giving her the meds she had already had. We had a few hours of panic but in the end she was fine. Still, the local emergency response team was called out and her GP was on the phone to me (I don't live near her) so it wasn't trivial. She has blood pressure meds and those could have been a serious problem.

The carer should have read the care sheet, but seems instead to have listened to Mum's eternal cry of 'I haven't had my meds' (when she has). They are in a blister pack and locked away from Mum but unfortunately the carers have to start the pack half-way through the week and that doesn't help make things clearer. I'm getting that changed.

However: no matter how you look at it, the carer overdosed her and didn't check sufficiently before giving her the second lot of meds. I was told by the care agency that this carer had since been suspended. I'm still waiting to hear the outcome.

In the meantime, the care agency bill has come and we're being charged for the session during which Mum was overdosed. I was amazed to see that. It's not the cost, it's the fact that they don't seem to have taken it that seriously. What do others think?

Registered User

Well you pay for a service i.e. ensuring your Mum gets the CORRECT meds so I think they have a bit of a cheek. In addition check with Adult Safeguarding dept. in your Mum's area to make sure this has been reported to them. If not that would be another gripe I have against the Agency.

Registered User

You pay for and expect proper care; under the circumstances I believe it is wrong for you to be charged for their lack of care and what about the time, trouble, concern and possible extra costs you have incurred through their fault. It may just be that an automated computer invoice has been issued so it might be worth raising your concern with the manager.

Registered User

It would have been a useful gesture in their part to have waived the fee. As it hasn't occurred to them, you will have to decide whether to ask for a refund. You may decide that it's more important to concentrate on getting them to give assurances about the future, e.g. that the care sheet will always be written up, read and followed.

Registered User

Thank you, everybody. Sorry for not coming back earlier. I've been away from the forum because we've had further 'crises' - firstly, the care agency not picking up the meds from the pharmacy, so they suddenly discovered she had no meds at all over the Bank Holiday weekend. They did sort it though, by going to a hospital to get emergency supplies.

All the trouble seems to be when the usual carers are away. The usual ones know what they're doing but once it's a matter of cover and last minute stand-ins, Hell breaks loose.

The second 'crisis' wasn't the carers' fault. It was the loss of her pension card, which she said nothing about to anybody until yesterday there was no money to pay the carer to get food! Fortunately there was already plenty of food in the house. After hours of searching, phoning DWP, the post office, etc, etc, it has finally turned up in a place she told us she'd already searched....

I'm going to stop the card and get all the money put into her bank account. It seems harsh and I've had a real inner struggle about it, but she leaves wads of cash lying around in the living room and there are now so many people going in and out of the house, it's not wise, and also not right to put temptation in people's way. The shopping will be done by a friend and neighbour we both trust, using a prepaid card which I'll load from Mum's bank account. That will be a HUGE weight off my mind.

Re the safeguarding issue - yes, Social Services were informed about the OD incident. The Emergency Response team were involved, and the GP. And it's true that they could have tried to cover it all up. I do my best to deal with them politely and calmly (even if I feel homicidal) because I understand that ranting and raving only puts pressure on people to cover up. Still, it's maddening to be paying people to take some of the worry and care off your shoulders and then they c*ck up again and again so that you're as worried as ever...

Edited to add: I've already asked about the follow-up but all I get is 'X is dealing with it, I can't tell you anything now.' I'll be on the case in future.

Registered User

About the pension card/finances situation: sorry it's such a big mess for you, but good for you for taking charge to sort things out so that your Mum is taken care of but you don't have as much worry over the finances.

You said it your post that you've struggled with this solution and that "it seems harsh" and I wanted to give you some feedback. It's not my mother so maybe I have a little different perspective than you do. My first thought is that, if you've really struggled with it, that means you've thought long and hard about what to do, which shows you have care and concern for your mother's financial well-being and best interests. That makes you a good caregiver, not a bad person.

My second thought is that no, it doesn't seem harsh, it seems practical and like the right thing to do in order to take care of her money.

I know these changes are never easy, but I feel sure you are concerned for your mother's best interests and are making reasonable decisions. But I'm sorry it's all so difficult.